OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, NEW JERSEY, USA: The IBF have sent a congratulatory message to its new Lightweight Intercontinental Champion (I/C), Richard Oblitey Commey from Ghana. Commey stopped boxer Bahadir Manadjanov in the 8th round of their scheduled 10-rounder tourney in Las Vegas over the weekend.
Lindsey Tucker who is the IBF Chairman of Championship Committee wrote the following to Richard Commey: “Congratulations on your win over Bahadir Manadjanov for the vacant IBF I/C Lightweight Championship last Friday night, May 22, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. We wish you all the best for a long and illustrious career as the IBF I/C Lightweight Champion."
Richard’s sweetest victory came about after struggled for a long time to get boxers to agree to fight him for the same title whereas a year and half ago, some boxers relinquished their titles to avoid him.
The IBF Championship Czar went on to say: “According to IBF Rule 6, Procedure When Title Becomes Vacant, the winner of the vacant title must make a mandatory defence against the leading available contender within 6 months of acquisition”.
This has called to attention the need for African boxing commissions to start aggressive filing of its boxer’s tournament results with the world’s top boxing body, the IBF for ratings considerations.
The President of IBF/Africa Onesmo Alfred McBride Ngowi, has written to the bosses of several boxing commissions to start sending the results to the IBF and international boxing databases. Attached is the sample of how record should look like at so that proper filing can be done.
Lindsey Tucker summed his congratulatory message to Richard Commey buy saying that “Your mandatory defense will be due on or before November 23, 2015. The IBF will notify you approximately 60 days prior to November 23, 2015, as to whom the mandatory challenger is and you will be required to negotiate the mandatory at that time. In the event you are unable to negotiate the mandatory the IBF will call for purse offers to determine who will promote the fight, when and where”.
Indeed if Africa, Middle East & Persian Gulf wants to succeed to take their boxers to the next level, proper filing for their boxing results MUST be filed with the respectable bodies like the IBF.
It is not fair that boxers fights and their results are not sent to the respected authorities because this deny the boxers their rightful opportunities for ratings as well as titles.
The IBF progression path is one of the most respected and accurate to develop boxers careers. Upon a boxer become the regional title, he advance to the International Title, Intercontinental title and then, consideration b for IBF world ratings.
Richard Commey is a very fine example of what boxers can become once they capture the regional title. After Richard became the IBF Continental Africa Lightweight champion, failed to defend the regional title because most boxers refused to fight him.
IBF made him the mandatory challenger for its I/C title but, to the big surprise then defending champion decided to relinquish the title instead of fighting him.
When the Commonwealth Boxing Council (CBC) gave Richard Final elimination he went on to capture the Commonwealth Lightweight title in style.
Commey has been on the rise ever since and last week be set his foot to the MECCA of boxing in the world, Las Vegas where the famous Fight of the Century between Floyd Maywheather and Manny Pacquiao took place.
The IBF progression paths has its great advantage as it identify boxers who are credible and can advance their careers., that is why, we are so reluctant to sanction any boxer for our regional title and opt to sanction only credible ones.
Although this is very unpopular to many boxing managers and promoters, but, it serve our purposes because, at the end of the day, boxers are considered for ratings at I/C and world ratings respectively. Last night, the President of IBF/Africa Onesmo Alfred McBride Ngowi sent email and samples of how to file boxing results to the IBF and boxing databases.
Africa is notoriously known for filing some fake boxing results. Some fights that never took place are cooked and sent to some boxing databases.
We should rid ourselves to these evil practices that is so bad to the boxing fraternity and can ruin the career of our boxers.
Some shoddy boxing managers and agents cooks boxing results. This is unacceptable and must be condemned by all those who love boxing.
To avoid this shameful trend to continue, we want the African boxing results to be sent by boxing commissions on their commissions letterheads. We will only accept boxing results from designated officials who has been mandated by the commissions to send boxing results and not every Tom and Harry.
We must applaud and rejoice for such fine progression path as the IBF’s that take regional champions from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the USA to the next level.
Africa must do its fair share to help its boxers to advance to the pinnacle of the boxing and that is world championships. We can do this only by sending proper and accurate boxing results that has been properly matched. Lets us change and take this great opportunity by both hands!
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